Daily Life Reveals Key Differences Between Machiavellianism and Psychopathy

A 30-day experience-sampling study of 317 adults in Poland shows Machiavellianism and psychopathy are largely indistinguishable on baseline tests, but reveal distinct daily patterns. Baseline overlap exceeds 70%, while day-to-day data show only about 16% overlap. A key finding is that increases in Machiavellian behavior on one day predict higher impulsive, antisocial behavior the next day, but not the reverse. This suggests environment and self-control shape dark personalities and supports treating these traits as separate states rather than the same phenomenon.